In an attempt to beautify and make safer the parts of campus near the lakes, Facility Services is updating the English Language and Orientation Program building on Fraternity Circle and the area around the University Laboratory School.
The Safe Routes to School Project will add a bike lane and a loading zone to Dalrymple Drive in front of the Lab School, and the aging ELOP building will undergo exterior maintenance, said Dennis Mitchell, assistant director of master planning and site development for Facility Services.
The purpose of Safe Routes to School is to make the area surrounding the Lab School more hospitable to pedestrians, Mitchell said. This will be done through additions made to Dalrymple. A new bicycle lane will cater to both University and Lab School student cyclists. Furthermore, a designated loading zone will create stability. The current loading zone has a combined use of loading, parking and student pick-up.
Mitchell said Safe Routes to School is a long-term project that could be a year away from completion. It should amount to $150,000.
The roundabout on Dalrymple has already improved safety and flow of traffic in the area, said Shannon Thibodeaux, Port Allen resident and parent of Lab School students.
Thidodeaux said driving her children to school is much easier with the addition of the roundabout.
“Obviously, traffic is bad, but things have gotten much better since the roundabout,” Thidodeaux said.
Crossing Dalrymple has also become safer, Thibodeaux said. The crosswalk in front of the Lab school is efficient, with University Parking helping children cross.
The one issue Thidodeaux said she still experiences is turning out of the Lab School parking lot onto Lakeshore Drive. Traffic from both directions is intimidating, she said.
The other bit of construction taking place is the beautification of the ELOP building, located on Fraternity Circle at the edge of campus. The building is showing its age, Mitchell said. External maintenance planned for the building aims to improve its appearance.
The structure’s surroundings have created issues, Mitchell said. Drainage problems have resulted from mature trees raising the sidewalk. Furthermore, the ditch on the campus border has much overgrowth. Correcting these issues and adding landscaping to the building’s front side will improve its outward appearance.
Mitchell said the building is in need of adequate accessibility. Consequently, a new ramp will be added to the entrance.
The ELOP building enhancements are part of a larger goal of “defining the edge of campus in an attractive way,” Mitchell said.
Improvements to the ELOP building should amount to around $5,000, Mitchell said. The University is applying for a grant from the state’s Department of Transportation and Development to cover a portion of the funding. All improvements should be complete by the end of the summer.

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Richard Redmann

The English Language and Orientation Program (ELOP) building on Fraternity Circle is one of the many buildings on campus that is in need of improvements on LSU's campus.